Method of packing edibles

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to the use of a non-hygroscopic adhesive in packing and an improved method of packing edibles using non-hygroscopic adhesive which is applied on the entire length of both the margins of the packaging material till the end, wherein the breadth of the adhesive is usually around 1 cm. The edibles are wrapped by closely apposing the margins without any open surface. For additional safety, a paper packing of the edible can be made first before final packaging.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of packing edibles to preventhealth concerns involved in the use of hygroscopic materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is observed that there are various problems with the current methodof packing. Conventionally, edibles are packed using hygroscopicadhesive or glue. The disadvantage of using hygroscopic material is thatit has a tendency to attract and hold water molecules from thesurrounding environment (0002.1). In addition, air tight packs ofhygroscopic material containing edible food are also not moisture proofand the water gets absorbed and enters inside as damp spot. Some of theproblems faced are that as water gets absorbed, the packaged contentsget spoilt and becomes unsafe for consumption (0002.2). Food spoilagecan occur even when there are minor changes in relative humidity(0002.3). Moisture condenses on the surface of the packaging materialand water gets absorbed which results in many common food defects(0002.4). The molding of grain, soggy cereals, and the lumping andcaking of dry products like cake mixes and powders (0002.5) can resultfrom excessive moisture. Other defects such as crystallization, mottlingand stickiness also occur. Moisture condensing on the surface of a foodcan also provide an environment for bacteria (0002.6) and molds (0002.7)to grow and multiply. Physical defects such as cracking, splitting andcrumbling of solid foodstuffs occur when excessive moisture is lost fromfoods (0002.8). Moreover, sometimes even the sealed margin of thepacking partially opens on storage during rainy season (0002.9). Thepackaged food also becomes less crispy during the rainy season.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide and develop an alternate andimproved method of packing edibles, which is capable of addressing andovercoming the abovementioned disadvantages (0003.1). Ideally, thepackaging material should be durable enough and should also restrict thepassage of water through it. Moreover, the packaging must also beresistant to leakage and corrosion. The proposed technique uses anon-hygroscopic (0003.2) material, which in addition to providing asuitable solution also improves the shelf life (0003.3) of the packagedproduct.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved method of packing edibles, which improves shelf life of theproduct.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method ofpacking edibles using non-hygroscopic material (e.g. epoxy and othersynthetic adhesives) which is easily available (0005.1).

In accordance with one aspect, the present invention, which achieves theobjectives, relates to a method of packing edibles using anon-hygroscopic adhesive, which is applied on the entire length of thepack. Such a method of packing ensures safety of the package contentsand prevents health concerns (0006.1).

Yet another object of the invention is to address health issues (0007.1)concerning consumption of unsafe food (0007.2) due to use of hygroscopicadhesive in packaging material.

Other aspects and objects of the present invention will become apparentto those ordinarily skilled in the art (0008.1) upon review of thefollowing description of specific embodiments of the invention inconjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposeof illustrating (0009.1) a preferred embodiment of the invention only,and not for the purpose of limiting the same (0009.2).

FIG. 1 shows an example of a building wall having 10 inch thickness

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a water exchange through a red bloodcell

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrates a pack of edible sealed with hygroscopicadhesive

FIG. 5 illustrates the effect of water/moisture on wall painted withwater soluble paint

FIG. 6. illustrates the effect of moisture on a hygroscopic layer ofadhesive

FIG. 7 illustrates an airtight paper pack

FIG. 8 illustrate a pack of edible with a non-hygroscopic adhesive inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The conventional method of packing (packaging) edibles involves the useof hygroscopic adhesive or glue (0017.1). It is known that hygroscopicsubstance has a tendency to absorb water or moisture and therefore,packaging materials sealed using hygroscopic adhesive or glue attractsand holds water. During transport, storage and handling, (0017.2) thepackaging is more easily exposed to moisture (0017.3). Extremevariations in temperature (0017.4) also result in condensation. Inmaritime transport, the packaging is more prone to moisture, and thisfurther enhances the absorption of water content through the packagingmaterials and causes corrosion of the packaging contents. FIG. 1. ToFIG. 6 illustrates the penetrating power of water in various cases.

Referring to FIG. 1, a building wall having 10 inch thickness isillustrated. The figure illustrates how damp spots (104) develop on thewall made of bricks (101) and cement plaster (102) when the moisturecontent of the adjacent side is high. The moisture transfer (103) occursacross the wall.

The penetrating power of water is immense. It can penetrate bothmicroscopic (e.g. a red blood cell having diameter of 2 micrometer) andmacroscopic (a building wall as in previous example). FIG. 2 illustrateswater exchange through a red blood cell having diameter of 2 micrometer.

Let us compare a red blood cell and a pack of edible sealed withhygroscopic adhesive. The thickness of the adhesive layer is generallyabove 2 micrometers. Therefore, hygroscopic adhesives used in packagingmaterials will absorb moisture from surrounding environment (0020.1).With high humidity during rainy season, the hygroscopic adhesives willabsorb more moisture.

FIGS. 3 and 4 demonstrates how easily water can penetrate through alayer of hygroscopic adhesive. Once packed, the change in adhesive layercannot be seen or judged by naked eye. (401) and (402) shows the layerof packaging material, whereas (403) shows a layer of adhesive.

FIG. 5 illustrate the effect of water or moisture on a wall (501)painted with water soluble paint (0022.1). Initially, a damp spot (502)appears on the wall, which leads to development of cracks (503) on thewall. As cracks develop, flakes (504) of paint fall to the ground.

FIG. 6 illustrate the effect of moisture on the hygroscopic layer ofadhesive. (601) shows how the water or moisture is absorbed through themargin of a pack of edible over weeks/months (0023.1) and causes thepacking layers to open. The open flaps of packing layers (601A) and(601B) are caused due to the hygroscopic nature of the adhesive layer(601C) and a damp area (602) is formed on the adhesive layer whichfurther leads to development of cracks (603) on-adhesive layer (0023.2).

FIG. 7 illustrate a paper pack (701) containing trapped air. Such airtight packs containing edibles are also not moisture proof. This can bedemonstrated by having a paper pack (701), as shown in FIG. 7, which aresealed on both ends, containing air inside. As shown in the figure, thewater drop (702) gets absorbed and enters inside as damp spot (703). Anycontent inside will be affected by the moisture released from the dampspot, although the pack is air tight (0024.1)

From the above illustrations, it is clear that hygroscopic adhesiveabsorb moisture from the surrounding environment (0025.1). Water ormoisture greatly affects the keeping qualities of food. Excessivemoisture pickup can result in product spoilage and spoilage bymicroorganisms and chemical reactions (0025.2).

FIG. 8 illustrate a pack of edible with a non-hygroscopic adhesive(0026.1) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment (0026.2) of thepresent invention. The non-hygroscopic adhesive (801) and (802) isapplied on the entire length of both the margins of the packagingmaterial till the end, wherein the breadth (803) of the adhesive isusually around 1 cm. The edibles are wrapped by closely apposing themargins without any open surface (0026.3). For additional safety, apaper packing of the edible can be made first before final packaging asshown in the figure.

The use of non-hygroscopic adhesive therefore, improves the method ofpackaging and ensures safety of the contents inside. The non-hygroscopicadhesive does not absorb moisture (0027.1) and hence, is not affected bymoisture content in the surrounding environment or by changes inhumidity (0027.2).

The foregoing description is a specific embodiment of the presentinvention, it should be appreciated that this embodiment is describedfor purpose of illustration (0028.1) only and that numerous alterationsand modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention (0028.2) It isintended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofaras they come within the scope of the invention as claimed or theequivalents thereof.

Considering the description cited in paragraph [0001]-[0028] and FIGS.1-8, present invention relates to the use of non-hygroscopic adhesivewhich is easily available (0005.1), to pack powdered (0002.5), solid(0002.8) edibles those are subject to extreme variations in temperature(0017.4), humidity (0002.3 and 0027.2) and are exposed to biologicalagents like bacteria (0002.6) and mold (0002.7) of the surroundingenvironment (0002.1 and 0020.1) in the process of handling, transportand storage (0017.2) over weeks/months (0023.1).

1. An improved method of packaging moisture vulnerable powdered(0002.5), and solid (0002.8) edibles of longer shelf life (0023.1),subjected to environmental temperature (0017.4), and humidity (0002.3and 0027.2) variations over weeks to months (0023.1) during handling,transport and storage (0017.2); using the available non-hygroscopicadhesives (0005.1), to counter the explained drawbacks of conventionallyused hygroscopic adhesives (0017.1 and 0025.1 and FIGS. 1-8) at present,for packaging powdered and solid edibles, exposed to similarenvironmental conditions; wherein with the possibility numerousalterations and modifications by those skilled in the art (0028), thenon-hygroscopic adhesive is applied on the entire length of both themargins of the packaging material till the end, ensuring the breadth ofthe adhesive around 1 cm, the edibles are wrapped by closely apposingthe margins without any open surface (0026.1-0026.3 and FIG. 8).
 2. Themethod of claim 1, in which non-hydroscopic adhesive are used forpackaging powdered and solid edibles, those are handled, transported andstored over weeks/months under normal environmental conditions.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, which improves shelf life of the packaged edible,those are exposed to environmental temperature and humidity variations,owing to absence of moisture absorbing nature of non-hygroscopicadhesive.
 4. The method of claim 1, which removes the risk of foodspoilage due to microorganisms or chemical reactions that would occur,when hygroscopic adhesives are used.
 5. The method of claim 1, whichconcerns health benefit to the consumer by ensuring safety of thepackaged edible.
 6. The method of claim 1, which is capable ofaddressing and overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages ofhygroscopic adhesives.